The Dipper Diaries
by rosiemurderer
Summary: Dipper is now faced with an enemy that has haunted him from the very beginning: his feelings. Follow Dipper Pines through his journal entries of love and loss as he tries to sort out his conflicted feelings toward Mabel as the town of Gravity Falls unwinds its own ugly secrets and confessions.
1. Blind Jealousy

**A/N: Hey! So does anyone else love Gravity Falls? Thought so.**

**I've had this idea for a while now, but I'm just getting around to it. But enjoy anyway!  
**

Love Log, Day 1

It took a long time for me to get over Wendy, and I mean a _long time._ But it happened, eventually. She's had this on-and-off relationship with Robbie for a while, but I think that they're on again for now. We're still good friends, Wendy and I, but, you see, Wendy's not the problem. I might have gotten over liking Wendy, but now I like a _different_ girl. You win this round, Hormones.

This girl's great, though. We get along really well, even though she kind of likes to make fun of me. She's great, I mean, she's funny, she's pretty, she's smart. Heck, she's _perfect_. Her name is Mabel Pines. There's just one thing: She's my sister.

I know what you're thinking; _Dude, that's so gross blah blah blah!_ And I know, it's not right for me to think about my sister that way, my_ twin _sister_, _but I just _do_. That's why I'm keeping this journal, so that you, whoever is reading this, can learn from my mistakes! Hopefully, I won't make _too _many though.

Let me start from the beginning.

My name is Dipper Pines, I am sixteen years old, and I am, currently, in Gravity Falls, Oregon visiting my Grunkle Stan for the summer with my sister. Mabel and I have been here every summer since we turned twelve, so, even though we don't live here all the time, we're known pretty well (unfortunately, it's as the "Mystery Twins"). To give you the SparkNotes version, Gravity Falls isn't an ordinary town; there are always these _things _popping up. Some you wouldn't even believe! Our Grunkle Stan owns the tourist trap of the town, The Mystery Shack. Grunkle Stan isn't always completely _put together_, but he's family and he's pretty cool sometimes.

I guess I started to like Mabel (oh God that sounds so weird...) after we turned fifteen. She just looked so _different _all of a sudden. She got rid of two things on the anniversary of our birth: her braces and her hair. She cut her brown hair to her shoulders and her teeth were straight! It was like she wasn't my sister anymore! She looked so...I don't even know, _amazing_. I don't know, I guess I always knew that Mabel was pretty, I just never _knew _it until then. And everyone else knew it too. I found myself being so protective and..._jealous _when guys would talk to her.

I thought I was going insane. My mind was spinning over my sister, who was growing up delicately and maturely and-and _girlily!_ And here I was: tall and awkward, tagged with "Dippy" as a nickname for my nickname. How pathetic is that! Mabel was still Mabel; silly and fun to be around, but I found myself being more and more awkward around her.

A couple days ago, while we were still in California with Mom and Dad, we were watching TV with Waddles and Mabel picked him up, you know, like always, and she held him really tight and cuddled him, like always, but, get this, I was _jealous _of Waddles! How low do I have to be to be jealous of a pig?!

From then on, I knew I had a problem.

The following Monday, we were shipped off to Oregon, so I haven't really had time to cope. You should've seen Pacifica's face when she saw Mabel! Apparently, she got a bad perm last spring, ha! Oh, but then there were all these guys fawning over Mabel when we came! _Urgh_! Well, there's not much we can do about it right now. Mabel and I are going to go "help Grunkle Stan in the Mystery Shack," which pretty much means, "Go up to the roof and drink soda until he finds us."

Dipper, out!

...

(Should I end like that, or is that too weird? It's weird isn't it?...Just...bye.)

**A/N: Oh, Dipper, you and your lame journal entry titles :1  
Please leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Gas Station Blues

**A/N: Sixteen hours and I already have seven reviews for one chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing my story! Please enjoy this second installment of _The Dipper Diaries_!**

Amorous Annotations, Day 3

It's Dipper, here. Sorry I couldn't write yesterday, Mabel and I spent the day driving Wendy's car and I couldn't, you know, write about Mabel with _Mabel _around. But anyway, have I told you about Pacifica Northwest yet? I mean, besides the whole perm thing. Well, she's pretty much Mabel's archenemy, which sounds cliche, but it's true. I mean, come on! She's mean, she's stuck up, and she talks in that _stupid _voice! Augh, I can't stand her.

Well, yesterday Wendy had given us her car since she'd gotten a new one, which was really cool of her, and we saw Pacifica and her grovelers. She still looked terrible, but apparently she still drove fear into the hearts of her peers, so, I guess, she was still pretty _popular_. She saw us in the car and immediately glared, which kind of bothered Mabel for some weird, girly reason, and left, probably to...spit in someone's drink or-or kick a hobo, or something.

"-Dipper!" Mabel yelled in my ear really loud. I wasn't sure how long she'd been screaming, but I had the feeling it was for a while.

I rubbed my ear and yelled back, "What?! What is your problem?!" I only just heard the cars honking behind us.

"Go!" She yelled, but I could hear her laughing as I started to drive.

A middle aged man with a really bad comb over drove past us yelling and shaking their fist. Our windows were rolled up, so I couldn't hear him, but he looked like he was saying some pretty naughty things. Mabel saw and when I looked at her, she was trying not to giggle. We burst out laughing as we sped down the street. I'd hate to admit it so freely, but she was kind of cute when she laughed. She never fully grew out of her chipmunk cheeks, but I didn't mind, they made her look more like the Mabel I'd grown up with...

Whoa, got a little carried away there. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it now, so you can imagine how much of a dork I was around _her_.

Anyway, well, we drove around town just, you know, doing stuff. We ended up getting ice cream while trying to find the "siren" said to reek havoc in the town. In case you didn't already know, when we were twelve I found this weird book with a "3" in a gold hand on the cover. More often than not, the book was right about things happening in the town. Like I said, Gravity Falls isn't an average town.

Eventually we had to refill the car with gas, which neither of us really looked forward to do. You see, back in California, Mom and Dad wouldn't really let us drive and when we did drive, we would never, _never _have to fill up the tank. So, we were kind of at a loss for words, which in itself was weird.

After a mini tournament of rock-paper-scissors-lizards, I had to "pay for gas", which meant "use Grunkle Stan's credit card and blame it on the government." We bumped fists, "Be back in a sec', Mabes," I promised.

"Later, Dippy-Dots," she laughed ruffling my hair, once again claiming authority as "older twin sister."

Only one other car was getting gas, but the little store was filled. I went through the motions to fill up the gas tank and waited in line for blah blah blah, which, may I mention, was _so super boring. _There were, like, a gazillion people! I didn't even know that many people _lived_ in Gravity Falls! The guys in front of me looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen them, they all looked the same to me. Every time one of them left, they gave me this weird look. I was used to it though, I was like half of the walking Pines Twins Freak Show to some of the locals. Oh, _and_ they kept talking really loudly! I could hardly hear myself think! Once I finally got to the front, the cashier guy took _forever_! What a day...

"Mabel, you'll never-" I stopped short once I saw Wendy's car. The car was completely trashed. The doors were open revealing the already old leather seats slashed, the stuffing and metal springs pouring out of it. One of the windows was completely smashed, making a spiderweb of cracks, and "LOSER TWINS" was spray painted across the side in black. And Mabel, _oh Mabel_. She was kneeling on the ground in tears, dark lines ran down her face from her makeup, I didn't even know she _wore_ makeup. Her hair and clothes were disheveled from a struggle, her jeans were riddled with traces of spray paint. "Dipper, help!" She pleaded. It just about broke my heart.

I sat next to her on the ground, wrapping my arms around her, trying to reassure her as gently as I could manage. My rage was burning, making my thoughts turn into a messy faze.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..._

I counted until I calmed down, just like I saw on TV. I scooped up Mabel and sat her in the passenger's seat, she was still sniffling, but she looked better now that she's stopped crying. We drove in silence to the Mystery Shack. We both knew people were staring. I mean, who couldn't see the Hearse of Loserdom driving down the street with the Pines Twins Freak Show riding in the front?

I stopped a little ways from the Mystery Shack to make sure Mabel was okay. Her eyes weren't red anymore and her face was clean of any makeup trails. She looked the same as when we'd left that morning. She wore her short hair straight and silky, clad in only an over-sized navy sweatshirt and tight denim jeans with knee high leather boots. She cleaned up pretty nicely.

"You okay, kid?" I asked patting her knee.

She cracked a smile of straight teeth, "Dipper," she patted my shoulder like _I_ was the one who needed comforting, "If _anyone_ is the kid here, it's _you_."

"Shut up!" I pushed her playfully.

For a heartbeat there was silence, then we started laughing. It ended up turning into the classic tickle fight, which she always started, but I always won. I sat there for a while, trying to catch our breath. That's when I noticed her head was in my lap, keeled over from laughing.

As always, I got nervous. Smooth move, Dipper.

"Well!" I said a little too loudly and a little too quickly. "W-w-we should pro-probably g-get back! You know how Grunkle Stan is!"

"Hungry?" Mabel joked, laughing.

I laughed nervously, trying to tone down the nervous. I started the engine and drove the rest of the way home, leaving the events of the day behind. Now, I'm sitting on the roof writing this. Mabel's in the shop joking around with Soos. Wendy got upset over the car, not that it's trashed, but about who did it. With Wendy around, they sure will get what's coming to them. It's just that, I don't know, I can't shake off how weird I'd been with Mabel in the car and, you know, back at the gas station.

It's hard liking someone you're so close with, especially when she's...well, you know. Be back with more of this weird roller coaster later.

Dipper, out!

(Yeah, I think I'll end like that from now on...)

**A/N: I feel like I would actually kind of, almost like Pacifica if she didn't hate Mabel. That's just a deal breaker. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and please leave a review! **

**Oh, and updates will most likely come every weekend! I'm trying to stay consistent!  
**


	3. A Little Too Close For Comfort

**A/N: You guys are so nice with your reviews! Thank you so much! Enjoy this chapter, hopefully Dipper's doing a bit better. I guess we'll see. **

Fondness File, Day 7

Dipper here! Whoa, I've missed a lot. Well, Grunkle Stan got pretty mad over the car, seeing that we'd just gotten it that morning and it was already a wreck. He also said he wouldn't let us borrow his car because he didn't want his car trashed like ours was. Thankfully, Soos, he's our awesome friend who works at the Mystery Shack with us, helped us duct tape the seats and wash most of the paint off the car, but the window is still busted, so we can't drive it anywhere. Wendy has been driving us around, because 1) she has a car and 2) no one ever messes with Wendy. Not even Pacifica, which was saying something.

One time in town, Wendy left us in the car so she could say "Hi" to Robbie at the store he worked in, so Mabel and I just sat in silence, which wasn't very normal for her. I could tell the gas station incident had freaked her out more than she was letting on. I mean, so was I, but Mabel was _there_. She could have gotten seriously hurt, if-if anything had _happened_ to her...

_Shut up, Pines, _I thought to myself, _Mabel is _fine _that's all that matters_ _and-_

"Dipper," Mabel said catching my attention.

"Uh, yeah, Mabel?" I asked, paranoid over what I could have said while I was zoning out.

"About yesterday," Mabel said, letting her voice trail off. My heart started racing and, I swear, I started sweating. The only thing I could think was: _She knows. She knows. She knows..._

"Wh-what about it?" God, I am an _idiot_.

"Well, if you liked someone, you would tell me right?" She looked deep into my eyes and scooted a little closer.

"I guess," I was getting so nervous. It was like Wendy all over again, except, like, _ten_ times worse.

"Because we're siblings, right?" Mabel persisted, "Not just sibling, we're _twins_. So, we can tell each other anything, right?"

"Y-yeah, _anything_," I had to whisper to keep my voice from shaking.

"So, you would tell me if you liked..." Mabel was killing me. If she knew, she was playing me like a harp. I was hanging on to her every word.

I held my breath.

_She knows._

"Pacifica?"

I did not expect that. "_What?_" I asked stupidly, red-hot embarrassment coming to my face, I'm sure.

"Pacifica?" Mabel was smiling, "Do you like Pacifica? You were all _googly_ eyes for her at the stoplight yesterday!"

Silly Mabel saves the day. I laughed, "Are you kidding?! Pacifica? Mabel, I definitely do not have a crush on Pacifica Perm-Queen." That made Mabel laugh.

"Come _on_, Dipper! You know you want her!" Mabel joked, poking my sides to make me laugh. "Like, _hey_ Loser, you want to, like, come and adore me!" Imitating Pacifica's stupidly accented voice perfectly.

"_What?_ You're not here to grovel at my _fabulous_ feet, then, like, be banished to, like, Ecuador!" I imitated, laughing.

"Dudes, that's _so_ not cool," Wendy said seriously, making us stop as she came into the car. Her serious expression suddenly contorted into a huge smile. "There is no way Pacifica knows where Ecuador is!"

The three of us laughed, driving away, the cool breeze coming in as the windows rolled down. Mabel's hair blew in my face a couple times, not that I minded; it used to be a lot worse when her hair was long. Her hair was softer now too and it smelled nicer too, like strawberries. I caught myself noticing and mentally cursed myself. I still think it's weird that I _like-like_ Mabel. I wish I didn't, but it's not that easy. Mabel's just too likable, I guess.

After running a few more errands, Wendy dropped us off at the Mystery Shack. She always blew off work, but Grunkle Stan never did anything about it. Like I said, no one messes with Wendy. Mabel went up to our room to play with Waddles, I guess, but I stayed in the shop with Soos as he swept up. I sat on the stool behind the counter and sulked. I guess Soos noticed because he looked up from his sweeping. I don't know it you've noticed, but I'm really bad at hiding my emotions. Or maybe Soos can just _sense_ stuff like that, you never know.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Soos asked, striding over the counter. "You look all sad and stuff."

"It's nothing Soos," I lied, shrugging. Like I said, I'm _really bad_ at hiding my emotions.

"Dude, is it a woman?" Soos persisted, looking me in the eyes _super_ seriously. Soos may be silly sometimes, but, boy, can he be serious.

"Yeah," I sighed. If I could trust anyone with my secret, it was Soos.

"But, Dude, I thought you didn't like Wendy?" Soos leaned over the counter, hungry for an answer. What a gossip...

"I don't. And don't say that out loud, what if someone hears you!" I snapped, even though I knew no one would come by.

"Then who?!" Soos questioned, then his expression went blank. "Is it Pacifica?"

"No! Why do you people think that I like Pacifica!" I complained, throwing my hand up. "She's _gross_!"

"Dude, I _so_ hear you," Soos agreed, nodding his head. He looked at me seriously again, "But really who is it? _Seriously_."

"_Mabel_," I muttered, hoping he wouldn't hear me.

He did. "_Mabel_? Dude, are you two fighting or something? What did you do?"

"What? No!" I said defensively. My heart was pounding. If Soos figured it out, no doubt it would explode.

"Well, then what?" Soos was exasperated. He paced anxiously, waving his hands. "If you don't like Wendy and you're not fighting with Mabel, then what? It's not like you-" He looked at me so suddenly I jumped. "Dude, you _do not_."

"I-I-I what?" I muttered dumbly. I was too nervous to form my words.

"You have a _crush_ on _Mabel_!" Soos said, clasping one hand over his mouth and pointing at me with the other. His eyes were like dinner plates.

I jumped down from the stool and stomped around the counter until I was right in front of him. "_I do not_!" I hissed defensively, but it was too late. This was the point of _no return_.

"Yes, you _do_, Dude! You so do!" Soos persisted. His voice was getting louder and it made me nervous. Someone was bound to come downstairs with Soos yelling like that, and if it was _Mabel_...

"Okay, okay, fine, I do, okay?" I said trying to shush him as quickly as possible. "But you will tell _no one_, swear?"

"Dude, I totally swear," Soos said raising his right arm for emphasis.

I nodded, because I couldn't speak. I knew Soos wouldn't tell, he was too good of a friend, but I still couldn't help but be nervous about it. We didn't talk about it afterwards; I just went upstairs, wanting to be alone. I saw Grunkle Stan raiding the fridge, usually I would call him out on it, but I wasn't in the mood. I mean, one close call with Mabel and now _Soos_ knew my secret. What a day. Speaking of Mabel, she was in the room, playing with Waddles, when I walked in. He snorted happily as she squished his cheeks. Lucky pig.

"Hey Dipper," Mabel smiled, her chocolate brown eyes shined with happiness. Even though we're fraternal, every one says that Mabel's the better-looking twin. I mean, come one, I can't argue with that. Everyone knew it, well, except Mabel.

"Hey Mabel," I said, leaning against the wall. I guess I looked pretty gloomy because Mabel scooped up Waddles and sat down next to me. She looked concerned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, poking my face. I didn't really react though.

"I don't know," I said lamely, "I guess, I'm still a little bothered by the whole gas station thing, you know?"

Mabel nodded, "Yeah, me too."

"I just wish I knew who did it," I said, the lingering anger rising in my chest.

Mabel laughed, "Why? So they can _beat you up_?"

"No!" I said defensively, "I'm tough!"

We burst out laughing, which at first didn't do much for my confidence, but I just let it go. She was right anyway.

"Don't worry Dipper, I'll protect you," Mabel laughed, ruffling my hair, milking every chance she got to remind me that _she_ was five minutes older and I wasn't.

We stayed like that for a while, laughing and talking with Waddles oinking in between us. The next few days were as normal as ever. We went fishing with Grunkle Stan and helped out at the Mystery Shack with Soos and Wendy. Robbie came over a couple times to visit Wendy too. Grunkle Stan got the window fixed on the car, so now we can drive it again. I'm actually sitting in it right now, writing this for you, the reader. The day's nice today and getting nicer every moment I spend with Mabel, trying to find a lead on that siren supposedly in the town. It's a tough life, but someone's got to live it.

Dipper, out!

(...Now I'm having second thoughts about it...)

**A/N: Dipper Pines, ladies and gentlemen! Awkward extraordinaire! Soos is quite the sleuth, don't you think? Well, Dudes, thank you for reading and please leave a review! They are much appreciated! Until next time!**


	4. The Epiphany of the Century

**A/N: ASDFGHJKLMNIUIGUWYEROIHC I'm not used to people liking my stories but you do and I don't know how to handle it because I'm really grateful, but, at the same time, I feel bad that I have so many typos in my chapters! I type really fast when I get excited and I keep writing chapters really late at night so I'm really delirious, so thank you for pointing them out to me. (: But AUGH you're all so nice! I hope you like this chapter!**

Passion Periodicals, Day 9

Hey, Dipper is in the hiz-house! Okay, nevermind...It's Dipper! (Wait, who else would it be? Duh!) Anyway, yesterday wasn't very eventful. Mabel and I tried to find out where the siren could be hiding. We asked the Gravity Falls High School music teacher, Ms. Loot, for a list of her students with the best singing voice. That worked out, but, after giving us the list, she said that all of her students "sounded like dying cats in a blender." We decided that wasn't a good thing, so we moved on. We went to Greasy's Diner to ask Lazy Susan if she knew either any good singers _or_ anyone who seemed to control people with their singing. I mean, either of those would be a good, if not dead, give away! When I asked her, Lazy Susan laughed heartily and patted my hair, telling me what an "adorable little boy I was."

"Lazy Susan, you do know that I'm sixteen now, right?" I pointed out while fixing my cap. I could feel my cheeks heating as she manually winked at me. It made me feel really uncomfortable.

Lazy Susan giggled as she walked off to the kitchen, "What an imaginative boy." I looked at Mabel, she had a case of the giggles as bad as Lazy Susan, "She said you were _adorable_! Ha! _I told you_!"

"Stop it!" I complained, suddenly developing a new interest in my pancakes. We ate the rest of our meal, talking about the siren and where she could be finding and possible suspects. We ended up just going home after we finished eating though. The cycle of summer laziness was already getting to us. While we were watching TV, Soos kept giving me _looks_ when Mabel wasn't looking.

Today was a completely different story. We went back to Greasy's Diner with Grunkle Stan this morning. Mostly so Grunkle Stan could stay and flirt with Lazy Susan. They'd worked out the whole situation with Mr. Cat-Face and they'd been dating for a while now. It used to be really weird at first, but now it's just slightly creepy. Just slightly. During Lazy Susan's break, they sat at the counter eating free donuts.

Mabel tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear, "Come on Dippingsauce, let's _blow_ this pop stand!"

We hopped out of the booth, "_Bye Grunkle Stan_!" we both cried in a chorus of glee. I didn't think he noticed though, he was too busy with his girlfriend.

As I drove through the morning haze, I wondered what that was like, to have a girlfriend, I mean. I sneaked a glance at Mabel as she stared out the window._ No_, I wouldn't want Mabel to be my girlfriend. Sure, I love her, she's my sister, and I might _like_ her, you know, more than usual, but...I don't know, it's complicated. Then again, what _isn't_ complicated right now?

"Hey Dipper," Mabel said my name more like a question than a greeting. I had a flashback to our last conversation that started like that. I could feel my heart rate elevating.

"Yeah, Mabel?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the road. I silently controlled my breathing to calm myself down. _Why_ am I such a spaz?

"What if not all sirens sing?" Mabel asked flatly, like she had been thinking about it for a while now.

I risked a quizzical glance at her, "What? No. Sirens are _temptresses_ who _tempt_ people with _song_. Sirens just sing, it's only _logic_, Mabel. Siren's don't do anything but sing and, you know, be _jerks_! Mabel, that-that's just what they do!" I started talking really fast, the way I always do when I think out loud.

"Does The Book say that?" Mabel pointed out, like I'd completely overlooked that small detail.

I actually had overlooked that small detail. "I-I don't _know_!" I spat out dumbly. I'm an idiot sometimes.

Smirking, Mabel reached into the back seat and pulled out my backpack onto my lap, she unearthed The Book, mumbling how much junk I kept in my backpack, and flipped to the page about the siren. I didn't have to look to know that on the page was a shadowy drawing of a beautiful girl looking at her reflection in the mirror. In the mirror, however, was the gruesome face of a monster.

"_Unlike popular belief, the siren was not the woman herself, but an evil spirit cursed with a hideous face. Jealous of all the beauty that surrounded it, the spirit possesses beautiful women, using her charming voice and irresistible face to control people to do her evil bidding. There are many sirens around the globe, but Gravity Falls is only inhabited by one. Beware of this monster_," Mabel shut the book, satisfied with her own spooky narration, "_Zip_ about singing, Dipper! _Zip_!"

"Zip your mouth why don't you!" I said laughing, pinching two fingers together and swiping them over her mouth, pretending to zip it shut.

Mabel stuck her tongue out at me, mocking me, "Who's the smart twin now, Dipper? Mabel! Mabel! Mabel!" She chanted her name a couple more times until she knew I'd gotten the point. Another thing about Mabel is, at least when it comes to me, when she's right, she has to make sure that I know that. She may be older by five minutes, but she's still pretty immature sometimes. But that's what I liked about Mabel, she was like a rainbow while I saw like a sheet of blank paper.

"Wendy, ahoy!" Mabel proclaimed, pointing at Wendy waving at us from the sidewalk. I parked and waited for Wendy to catch up with us. "Hey losers," she said when she stuck her head in the window.

"_Hey Wendy!_" we cheered in unison, which made her laugh at our twinliness.

"What've you troublemakers been up to?" Wendy said, a relaxed , carefree look in her eyes. A couple years ago, that look would have made my heart go all fluttery and junk, but now...no fluttering, or junk

Mabel and I looked at each other, a silent agreement passing through us: _Not yet. _"_Nothing_!" we chorused.

Wendy laughed, "Cool. I'm just waiting for my brothers, except they're more like _animals_ now a days."

Something glinted in Mabel's eyes when she asked, "Ooh, you have brothers? Are they cute?" Boy crazy Mabel drove _me_ crazy sometimes, and not even in a moderately good way. I had to stifle the jealousy rising from the pit of my stomach.

Wendy threw her head back laughing, her cool composure breaking for just a moment, "_Trust_ me, you do _not_ want to get mixed up with _them_, Mabel! Oh, God, my _brothers_, ha!"

Mabel smiled and shrugged, "Can't blame a girl for trying!"

I sighed, as much as her boy-crazy attitude bugged me sometimes, I couldn't stay annoyed with her. When she smiled, her cute chipmunk cheeks receded and her eyes sparkled..._Focus, Dipper, focus_.

"Where are your brothers anyway, Wendy?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

Wendy looked to both sides and squinted, "Over there. Hey, _losers_, over here!"

Three guys across the street sauntered toward the car. They all looked the same; red hair, pale skin, plaid clothing.

"_Wendy_!" They all cried in a dissonant chorus of bellows. They all mobbed Wendy in a huge blur of red hair.

They looked so familiar, but I couldn't place from where.

Until I saw the look on Mabel's face. Mabel was shaking, her features frozen in a look of utter shock. That's when I knew.

They were the guys from the gas station.

They trashed our car.

_They could have hurt Mabel._

"_You_!" I yelled, my anger fuming, "You were the guys from the gas station!"

Mabel found her voice, "You wrecked our car!"

Get this, the Corduroy brothers didn't know what we were talking about! Unbelievable! They just stood there with these dumb looks on their faces! Wendy was shocked, she turned to the oldest brother, "Dude, is this true?! Don't lie to me!"

"N-no! We-we didn't do it, Sis, honest!" he sputtered stupidly, "Honest, we didn't!"

Wendy gripped him by his shirt, "Don't lie to me, kid! Do you know how much money it cost Stan to fix that broken window? Your life is a _penny_ compared to that! _Especially_ for Stan! You know how much he scrapes by just with that place!" Wendy got really scary when she was mad.

"We didn't do it, Wendy!" the younger Corduroys yelled, "We didn't!"

Wendy's eyes burned like fire. They were scared of her; I almost felt bad for them. "I-I swear we didn't, Wendy," the oldest Corduroy boy pleaded, fighting her steel grip on his shirt, "I've never even seen 'em 'til now!"_ That_ was hard to believe, considering we're here every summer. Then again, _I_ hardly saw them around

"_Swear_ it!" Wendy growled, squinting at him, daring him to lie to her face.

"We swear!" they cried in unison.

I looked around; people were taking notice, probably deciding whether or not to get involved. Just another Pines Family memory we'll always treasure, I'm sure. Wendy dropped her little brother and stomped down the street, fuming. People parted to let her pass. Remember how I said that no one messes with Wendy? That was why.

The Corduroy boys looked at us through the open car window, silently begging us to believe them. "Sorry about your car, by the way, but we_ really _didn't do it." I only nodded, cooling down from the anger rush. They _sincerely_ believed it wasn't them. I couldn't be mad.

We drove off; taking the road that would bring us home. The two of us drove in silence, neither of us really feeling like talking. How could we? _I_ knew they were the guys from the gas station, _Mabel_ knew they were the ones who'd wrecked our car, but _they_ didn't know what we were talking about. It didn't add up.

Mabel was the first to speak, "It was _them_, I swear."

"I know."

"I _saw_ them smash the window, spray paint the car, slash the seats."

"I know."

"I _knew_ it was them."

"But _they_ didn't."

I stopped the car short of the Mystery Shack and looked at her. She was shaking and her eyes were watering like a sad, abandoned puppy that had been kicked just one too many times. She looked down at her rainbow swampers sadly, wringing the sleeves of her dark green sweatshirt.

"Oh Mabes," I said as I got out of the car and moved to her side of the car. I swung the door open and she collapsed into my arms. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she buried her face in my chest. I froze for a second, unsure of what to do, then wrapped my arms around her middle. Then she started crying.

I hardly ever saw Mabel cry, but something about this summer has made her a _waterfall_. I didn't know what to do, so I just stroked her hair, trying to shush her as gently as I could.

"_Dipper_," Mabel sniffled, her voice muffled by the fabric of my shirt. She said something else, but I couldn't make it out.

I didn't say anything, but she called my name again, like I was far away somewhere. "Yeah, Mabel?" I answered, my voice shaking.

She pulled away and looked up at me, a distant look in her eyes. "_Pacifica_," she said barely audible so I had to read her lips.

"I-I don't understand," I said. Why did she always seem to come up?

Mabel shook her head a fraction and repeated, "_Pacifica_."

It hit me like a boulder traveling a hundred miles an hour, I took a hasty step backwards and tripped over a rock and onto my back like the coordinated gentleman I am. Mabel soon came into my vision. A halo of light curled around her head, like an angel. Either it started raining or a million of her tears started falling on my face, I didn't notice.

"Dipper, are _you_ okay?"

I wasn't okay.

It all added up.

_Pacifica is the siren._

Dipper, out!

(Okay, I was unsure before, but now I'm definitely keeping that. Just saying.)

**A/N: Oooh, Dipper is such a super sleuth! I'm sure you all saw that coming. This should really be two separate chapters, but I didn't want it to be two awkward journal entries, so TA-DAH! And I guess this is like a "See You Later" Present because I probably won't be able to update during the week, which makes me very sad, but don't worry, I won't forget about you! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **


	5. Signed Pacifica Northwest

_Hey Loser Pines. _

_I don't know how you got that stupid book or how you and _Mabel_ found out about me, but let me be clear: You tell anyone about my secret and I tell the entire town and Silly _Mabel_ all about yours. I'm sure that'll do wonders for your Uncle's business! You better watch you back! _

_I'll send a messenger to you within three days with my demands. Follow them exactly or you'll regret it!  
_

_Signed, _

_Pacifica Northwest_


	6. I Am the Apocalypse

**A/N: Wow, this is probably the longest wait for a update. Ha, well, I know the last chapter was really boring (because it was only, like, a paragraph), so I hope that this one doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!**

Darling Diaries, Day 12

Hey, it's Dipper! You know how last time I said "_Well, who else would it be?_", well, I'm sure you've already seen how that is now a _super_ ironic! Oh, God, I've done it now. I lost my journal somewhere in town a few days ago and _poof _it ends up with evil Pacifica the Siren/Queen of Ugly Hair! Just my luck! I looked everywhere for it, and _where_ do I find it? With Soos and _Wendy_ back at the shop! It would have been okay if Soos had been _alone_, I mean, I _still_ would've exploded, but Wendy! I was like the apocalypse raining down on the unsuspecting world.

Now, before you go thinking: _Wow, they're such bad friends, reading your journal like that blah blah blah. _They weren't reading it, well, when I _walked in_ at least. I saw it on the counter,_ out in the open and exposed to the cruelty of the world, then_ I exploded.

What happened after that was a blur. I remember a lot of crying and Wendy tackling me to the ground and Soos trying to calm me down. Or was it crying and _Soos_ tackling me to the ground and _Wendy_ calming me down? Like I said, I don't know, but eventually, I was sitting on a too small wooden stool with a carton of milk in one hand and my journal safe in the other.  
Under the sweet comfort of my chocolate milk, Wendy told me all about Pacifica stopping by the Gravity Falls tattoo parlor, where her dad was getting a new one, and giving her my journal earlier today. Wendy came to work and asked Soos about it, who, in a state of panic, spilled all about my crush on Mabel. Remember when I said that Soos had the iron will of a thousand manotaurs? _Exactly_.

I guess I started hyperventilating because Wendy tried to shush me, "Dude, _calm down_." She was trying not to laugh. That was when I realized the laugh was the same but Wendy wasn't. Her long, red hair, once as lush as a waterfall, was now tangled and choppy. Her cool eyes popped with dark makeup and she had a tattoo on her left shoulder that matched the one her dad, Manly Dan, had on his back, but she was _still_ Wendy on the inside. Sure, she's nineteen now, but all I saw was the fifteen year old girl I'd met my first summer in Gravity Falls. Her voice washed over me like a gentle breeze.

I took a few deep breaths, "Okay and _then_ what happened?" Not that I really wanted to know. I took off my cap and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I was practically drowning in it.

"Nothing, Perm Queen just wanted you to read this," she pointed to an envelope tucked carefully within the pages. I took it out and held it like it was a bomb, ready to explode, which it might as well have been.

"_I'm scared_," I whispered. I didn't_ mean_ to say it out loud but Wendy just squatted in front of my and held my by my shoulders, looking straight into my soul.

I cried like a baby. I howled like the lonely wolf I was. I was apocalyptic in a new, _terrible_ way.

I shook my head at the world, _begging_ whatever force was out there to tell me _why_ this had to happen to me. _When_ had my life taken a sudden turn for the worst? Where were the fun summers monster chasing around town and counting down the days to when we could come back? I held my hair in tightly clenched fists, wrenching over, screaming at the top of my lungs. Mabel had borrowed the car to go out with Candy and Grenda, _I didn't need to hold back anymore_.

Wendy patted my shoulder gently, anchoring me to the world. I was so _mad_ at myself, at everything. Well, except _one_ thing.

_Mabel._

And as soon as I thought it, I stopped, my bawling reduced to a small case of the sniffles. Wendy smiled at me and patted my hair down, "There you go, Dipper. _All_ better." I sighed, I guess I _was_ better. I stood up and she hugged me. My heart didn't skip a beat or any of that mushy romance stuff, but I still felt the love.

Now, it was Soos's turn. He charged my like a bull and engulfed me in a bear hug that literally took my breath away. He kept saying something like, "_Dipper, it's okay. Dipper it's okay..._" but I couldn't really hear anything but his pounding heartbeat with his man-boob squished again my face. The love felt a _little_ more like suffocating with Soos, but it was there.

"Can't _breathe_!" I wheezed, "_Soos_!"

"Sorry, Dude," Soos dropped me, raising his arms in evidence of his apology.

That was when Grunkle Stan walked in. One look at me lying on the floor at Soos's feet with my stupid, puffy red eyes and runny nose, he was bound to know something was up. I mean, Grunkle Stan is awful sharp, right?

"Don't scratch the floor, kid," he said with the sluggish tone that always crept in his voice. He walked out, only pausing to stop and fix his fez like he couldn't do it while walking. He was a weird one, Grunkle Stan, but he was family.

I couldn't really complain. He didn't ask any questions, so my secret was safe. Well, as safe as it _could_ be, I guess.

Soos and Wendy didn't let me out of their sight, like real friends do except, like, a _million_ times worse. I had to keep reminding myself to not drink too many liquids because, trust me, I did _not_ need Soos to watch me pee. It was already uncomfortable the first time anyway.

Once I'd gathered myself from my little episode, I took a quick glance at Pacifica's stupid demands with a new evolution of my disgust.

Her parents were planning a formal city hall gathering for Pacifica's half birthday, which was unbelievably dumb, and, get this, she was inviting the _whole town_. That was so _un-Pacifica_. Usually she hated anyone who was "below her" and, at least in her mind, _everyone was_. I wasn't sure how that would play out, but Mabel and I were invited along with Grunkle Stan.

I told Soos and Wendy about it.

"Whatever," said Wendy, as usual.

"Dude, party! Party! Party! Even though Pacifica is a total _buttface_, _party_!" Soos chanted, pumping both his arms with each "party."

My hand automatically collided with my forehead. As I proceeded to shake my head, I could feel the sting of where my hand hit turning red. It didn't feel all that great, just in case you were wondering.

I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it's not like I could just _not _go, I mean, really...

Oh and one more thing, Pacifica wants me to be her _date_.

_Kill me now_. Please.

Seriously, you'd be doing everyone a favor if you just killed me.

The option is still open, even now as I write this. I asked about twenty people in town the same question deliriously, but they all looked at me like I was crazy. Well, I guess I _am_, you know, crazy, but that gives them no right to admit it so freely. Mabel's sleeping on the other side of the room, cuddled up with Waddles. She's cute when she's asleep, well, when she's _not_ snoring. Speaking of sleep, I should really get some. I do deserve it don't I?

Dipper, out!

(Literally.)

**A/N: I could use some sleep too. Night everyone! Please leave a review if you read it!**


	7. Wendy's Waffles

**A/N: Whoa, there are a lot of you. Uhmm, I don't do very well with crowds, uh. Well, hope you enjoy awkward Dipper and awkward Toni (me, just in case you didn't know) in this new chapter! Well, _I'm_ not actually in it, but..yeah, you know, never mind. You can go ahead and read now.**

Crush Chronicles, Day 14

Dipper Pines, signing in! Feeling much better, thanks for asking. Yesterday morning, Wendy woke me up as the sun rose and told me we were going to get breakfast. I was too tired to object, so I trudged myself upstairs and got dressed and brushed my teeth. As I brushed my teeth, I felt like I was looking at someone else.

I know it's _hard _to believe, but I usually don't pay much attention to how I look. A couple months ago, Mabel started laying out clothes for me in the morning, since she wakes up so much earlier and, more recently, I drive her around and stuff.

Anyway, it's not that I looked different, I just, I don't know, I guess I was just tired. My hair was cut short on the sides so my, what do you call that again, fringe-y _sweepy_ hair in the front just did _whatever_, but the same big, brown eyes stared back at me. It was me, alright.

Mabel was still asleep, so I picked out a pair of camouflage pants, which I almost never wore because they were a little snug, and an over sized gray sweatshirt with an electric blue thunderbolt across the chest, Mabel had gotten it for me for our birthday. Like I said, Mabel usually picked out my clothes for me.

I thought about that on my way to see Wendy. Mabel did baby me and made fun of me for being the younger twin, but she did take care of me. That's what mattered. I should probably thank her for that later.

I vaguely remembered hopping into Wendy's new truck and us driving down a road I didn't recognize. I looked over at Wendy. She wore an over sized blue sweatshirt and jeans with black boots. Her choppy hair was tied back and she looked tired, like she'd been up all night.

I don't know how far we drove, but, eventually, we stopped. Apparently, "eating out for breakfast" was Wendy code for "eat homemade waffles in the back of Wendy's truck." At least it was "eating out."

Okay, so Wendy isn't necessarily the greatest cook in the world, but, boy, can she make waffles. Before then, I'd only had them once before, and, oh man, were they good. They sent a warm wave through my body, banishing any shivers from the cool morning air. Just like that, my plate was empty. I looked the Wendy, pleading with my eyes for more, she rolled her eyes and filled up my plate. She'd brought enough for the entire town.

We ate in silence for a while. I didn't really know what to say, my brain wasn't really working from lack of sleep. It was like my brain was made of yucky, mushy physical _suck_ just jammed into my skull. I felt kind of gross, if you really want to know.

Wendy was the first to break the silence. "It's weird," was all she said.

"What is?" I mumbled, my words muffled by the waffle bites I was chewing. Chewing is a pretty gross concept too, if you think about it too much. I hate thinking too much.

Anyway, Wendy just looked at me for a second like: _You kidding? _And smiled, "You're such a dork, Dipper. About _Mabel_, duh!"

I could feel my cheeks heating up, embarrassed she could be so forward about it. That was the thing about Wendy, she was so cool about everything, it almost made me uncomfortable to be around her. But only sometimes.

"So you really like her, huh?" Wendy asked, a wistful look in her eyes. "It wasn't just Soos being a spaz again?" She smiled.

I nodded, unsure if I had the nerve to say what I wanted to say next.

I did. "I think I kind of love her, Wendy."

Wendy nodded understandingly and draped an arm around my shoulder, like I was an armrest instead of a person. The silence crept in eerily, the sun was out a little, but not much. It almost didn't seem real.

That was when I spilled it all out on the floor. Everything about Mabel and how much I liked her and how I felt when I was around her and about being jealous of Waddles and about her chipmunk cheeks and how cute I thought they were and about how her hair smelled like strawberries when it blew in my face. Everything, and I didn't stop until I was completely empty. Everything had been said.

Wendy patted my back, "You feel better, sport?"

In answer, my stomach growled. I'd eaten a ton already, but I was still hungry. We laughed and, for a while, that was all we did. We just laughed and laughed until we were clutching our sides, lying down in the back of Wendy's pick-up truck as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Once the laughter had died, I was a quarter out of the truck, one of my legs draped over the side like a rag with Wendy's head against the top of mine. Both of us being pretty tall, it was a tight fit, but, somehow, it was _comfortable_.

"Dipper, you want to hear something _funny_?" Wendy offered, her voice coming from right above me.

"Shoot it, Tex." I'm so lame.

"Robbie broke up with me," Wendy said. I'd expected her to sound sad, but, even without seeing her face, I knew she was still smiling.

"How is that funny?"

Wendy breathed a small laugh, "_Because_, he doesn't know _how_ to break up with someone. God, the guy's so awkward. He came by last night at who-knows-what-time and was like, 'Wendy, I, uh, don't think this'll work out anymore. _Sorry_.' What a riot!"

I still didn't get it, but I decided to just go with it. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew what she was talking about, but I didn't try to process it. That was just the way Wendy _was_, I guess.

"So, Dipper," Wendy said like she was going to start asking me trivia questions, "On a scale of one to ten how much do you like-like Mabel?"

"Ten," I answered automatically.

"If there was one thing you could tell her and she wouldn't remember it at all, what would you ask her?"

I had to think about that one, but after a moment of hesitation I answered, "Nothing."

"Why's that?"

"I wouldn't want to go on thinking I'd told her something that she didn't remember because, I'm stupid and I'd probably bring it up anyway." It was true too.

Wendy laughed, not like she was making fun of me, but like I was legitimately funny. "That's a pretty selfish reason, but okay." She started to get up and headed for the drivers seat, I followed her example and slid into the passenger's seat.

"I'm a pretty selfish person, but who isn't?"

"Got that right, Dipper."

And so, we drove off.

When I got back, Mabel was just finishing up breakfast, Waddles trotting around the kitchen. I could hear Grunkle Stan snoring from the couch in the living room, probably fell asleep watching his soap operas-I mean, his "wrestling matches." Crazy, old man.

"Dipper! Where did you go?" Mabel cried with a smile once she saw me, which warmed my heart, just a little though. "I thought the ghost got you!"

"No, Wendy just-wait, _ghost_? Seriously?"

"Yeah! She's my new _friend_!" Mabel said down right cheerfully. That was a weird thing about Mabel, she was so out of the box, it was just nonexistent in her mind. I was the box in her life.

"Uh-huh," I said condescendingly, "Where is '_she_' again?" Just like old times, silly Mabel and suspicious Dipper, talking to ghosts and dealing with sirens. Wow, we sounded like a bad sitcom.

"In the _woods_! She's awesome!" she said it like she'd met her at the park or at school, not in the creepy woods after nightfall. "We can go see her _tonight_!" _Great, _I groaned in my head.

"Sure, Mabel," I said rolling my eyes.

"It's a _date_ then!" she punched my arm playfully and ran out of the kitchen, Waddles trailing behind her happily. I could hear Grunkle Stan stir in the living room, hastily changing the channel, hoping someone hadn't seen him.

But seriously, _how_ long have I waited to hear that? And it's about some ghost. Great.

Now, I'm writing this in the room, under the covers of my bed, with a flashlight in between my teeth. Extreme writer, Dipper Pines. Anyway, we're about to leave to go meet this ghost girl in the woods, so I have to hurry! Mabel's in the bathroom getting ready and Waddles is totally blowing my cover!

I'll tell you all about it once I get back! I promise!

Dipper, out!

(I promise!)

**A/N: I'm going to regret ending it like this, but I don't want to make this one big chapter so...yeah. I'll probably fix it later. Thanks for reding and please review!**


	8. Fragile Intagibility

**A/N: The end is nearing! How sudden is that? Well, no matter how quickly this story is wrapping up, I hope you still enjoy this chapter!**

Respect Register, Day 15

Hey, it's Dipper, the one and only! Well, except for that time I cloned myself. You guys would have _loved_ Tyrone, but we had this incident with this soda and..well, we can talk about that later. Mabel and I saw the ghost girl last night, which only made me kind of nervous. It was really dark and stuff, you know? Anyway, let's get down to business. Stop singing. This is serious, _sort of_.

As you know, last night, Mabel and I went in the woods at night while Grunkle Stan was asleep. Mabel had just finished getting ready and we were about to leave. I didn't think to change out of the clothes I already had on until Mabel looked me up and down and scowled, "You're wearing _that_?"

I looked down at myself._ I_ thought I looked okay."_What_? You liked these this morning!" I protested. It was always weird when she got all riled up over my clothes. I didn't see what the big deal was.

Mabel rolled her eyes, "They're in the wrong context now!"

"Oh, and _yours_ aren't?" I complained, which was a silly comeback. Mabel was wearing black skirt, a large, a black sweatshirt with a pink cupcake in the center, and a pink headband. She held a container of black face paint in her hand. Okay, so, maybe she was "dressed for success" and all, but...uhh, never mind. I didn't really know where I was going with that anyway...

"_Boys_," Mabel muttered like it was the worst insult she could think of, "Well, it's too late to fix you, so let's just go!" She swiped black stripes down my cheeks and a small dot on my nose, which was so unnecessary.

She swiped her own stripes, "Onward and upward, brosef."

"Well," I started on our way out the room, "It's technically downward-"

"Shut up, Dipper," Mabel laughed, punching me in the arm. I rubbed the sore spot she always seemed to hit. Quite the aim, Mabel had

We left the room, Mabel mumbling something about _how_ we could be related when I was_ so_ super clueless. Slipping past Grunkle Stan was the easy part, but sneaking past _Waddles_ was the hard part. I know what you're thinking: _Stupid Dipper, he's just a pig! Blah blah blah. _Well, he's _not_ just a pig, thank you very much! You see, while Mabel was getting ready, Waddles trotted downstairs to have his usual "bro-time" with Stan. It's a ritual they have at night or something, I don't really get it though, but at least they get along watching soap operas.

I don't know why, but Waddles _always_ squeals when he sees me like I freak him out or something. By some miracle, we made it out of the house with no trouble.

"I'll drive!" she whispered excitedly, jingling the keys in my face.

I swiped them in a second, "Uh, no, you're not."

We fought over the keys for a while, tumbling to the ground, wrestling as silently as we could until something occurred to me. _We couldn't even start the engine without waking up Stan. _And more importantly, _Waddles_.

"_Mabel_!" I hissed as she tightened her grip on my collar. She always was better at wrestling than I was. Not because she was stronger or tougher, though those _are_ factors that work in her favor, but because I'm skinny and she's more..._compact_. (Don't tell her I said that, okay?) She sat on my chest, slowly sucking the life out of me, gripping my collar murderously.

"Say it!" she whispered back fiercely and I knew what she meant too.

I struggled under her weight, I argued, "Mabel! We _don't_ have time for this!"

"_Say it, Dipper!_" Mabel hissed, challenging me to defy her. If I didn't comply, I was suffocated to death but if I _said_ it, I was shamed for the rest of the night.

"Never!" I hissed, a cocky smile creeping across my face.

She instinctively butt-bounced on my chest, knocking the wind out of me.

"Okay, okay, okay! _Uncle!_" I wheezed, panicking.

"A-ha!" She cried as quietly as she could while still sounding excited, "Mabel! Mabel! _Mabel_!..." She chanted for a while, remembered I was slowly dying from lack of oxygen and helped me up.

I awkwardly brushed the dirt off my back and whispered Mabel the plan. She cheerfully answered with a thumbs up.

We walked up to the car and opened the doors as silently as we could, which wasn't very. At least, it was quiet enough to not wake up Grunkle Stan. Instead of starting the car, we pushed it down the driveway until it was safe to start the engine. By the time we stopped, I was dripping sweat in the cold night air, puffing out my visible breath like smoke. It was pretty ironic, to say the least.

Mabel patted my chest, "Gotta work out more, lazy bones!" She flexed her own muscles, a useless effort since she was wearing a sweatshirt.

The engine roared with an effortless twist of my key. I could feel the power! I was like the master of automated vehicles!

Stop laughing at me.

Anyway, we drove for a little while, Mabel my own personal GPS in the night. The headlights barely lit the way, but with Mabel by my side, I was _confident_. And that's saying something.

"So, how did you find this ghost anyway?" We_ did_ sound like a bad sitcom.

"Oh, well, remember that day where I ditched you for my girl friends?" Mabel said, I could hear the smile in her voice.

The day of my episode, I remembered it well. "Uh, yeah. Thanks _a lot_ for that, by the way," I could taste the sour sarcasm escaping my lips. I like sarcasm a whole lot.

"Well, after, I took this weird path in the woods and walked through the forest!" Mabel said excitedly, fiddling with the radio to find a station, "And then I found her, the ghost! She was _really_ nice too."

"Wait," I said, skepticism spilling into me like a waterfall. Classic Dipper. "How're we going to _find_ it?! It's the middle of the night!"

Mabel rolled her eyes and laughed, "Silly Dipper, I brought a flashlight!" She held up my heavy duty, super bright flashlight. I've had it since summer camp in third grade and I don't ever remember changing the batteries.

"Batteries?"

"Boink!" A pack of batteries appeared in Mabel's palm. She amazed me sometimes.

We pulled up to a clearing and parked the car. Mabel flicked on the flashlight and lit our path into the darkness. We stepped forward and were encapsulated by cold blackness.  
We walked a little ways more before I noticed Mabel holding my hand, warming me from head to toe.

"I-I marked some of the trees earlier," Mabel's voice quivered, "So just keep an eye out for 'MP'."

The light shined from tree to tree, scattering the light at random. It made my eyes hurt, but I didn't complain. I didn't want to be the weak twin here.

After walking for a little while longer, we both looked at each other and said together, "Batteries?" We replaced the batteries, just to be safe, and kept walking.

We walked on forever. I didn't know how long we'd been out or how far we'd gone, I just knew that we kept moving, meandering around trees with initials on them until we knew when to stop. And that was the thing: We _didn't_.

After more initial hunting, Mabel unlocked her hand from mine and shined the light around. "We're here."

We stood there for a couple heartbeats until I blurted out dumbly, "Well, how do we know when its here?"

Mabel elbowed me in the ribs, shushing me harshly. "Hey Winona, you here?" Mabel's voice echoed throughout the empty woods.

"Hey Mabel," a glum voice said first. I looked around, trying to find a body to go with the voice, when a girl around seventeen appeared out of thin air, right in front of me. Now, let's get this straight. She wasn't necessarily_ there_; her form was tinted blue and kind of just floated a couple inches above the ground, like she couldn't decide if she wanted to land of stay up.

Winona had long, thick hair, bright eyes, and a nice smile. Her clothes were plain, but that just accentuated how pretty she was. The only thing that ruined her looks was how sad she looked, like she'd just recovered from crying but still felt like crying some more. "Is this your brother?"

"Uh, yeah," I stammered, "I'm Dipper." Winona smiled at my name like she thought it was funny. Rude.

"Nice to meet you, Dipper," she mused, "So, Mabel, what bring you here again?" She gracefully sat criss-cross-apple-sauce on the ground, still levitating. We sat down in response.

"I wanted you to meet Dipper!"

I stood there awkwardly.

"Well, I have now. It was nice."

We sat awkwardly in silence, the cold creeping in through my clothes. I noticed an annoying light under my nose, it had been there for a while, but I was just acknowledging it. I looked down and realized the blue bolt on my sweater was glowing. What do you know? Mabel made me a glow in the dark sweater. Cool. If you want to know the truth, I was kind of entranced by it, which was kind of lame, but I was. I started poking my own chest at the bolt, I could kind of hear Mabel and Winona and talking, but I guessed it was just _girl talk_, so I stayed out with it. I felt really awkward, just being excluded once again. Then a question popped into my mind.

I probably was really stupid and rude to blurt out, "Do you know about the siren?" But I did. And I _knew_ that it was stupid the moment I saw Winona's face. I didn't think it was even humanly-or _ghostly_, I guess-possible, but she looked _even_ gloomier!

"I do," Winona chimed, making the leaves rustle, "When I lived in Gravity Falls, the siren was always a problem, but no one really noticed it. I'm sure you already know this though." She sounded really wistful, like it had been a long time since she'd thought about it.

I was on edge. Finally, substantial information! "_Who_? Who was the siren?" All manners flew out the window.

Winona looked me in the eye, her icy eyes spreading frost across my skin. "I was."

"Winona?" Mabel chimed, concerned for her new friend.

"I'll start from the beginning," Winona sighed, like it was a hassle to recount, "It was seven years ago, when I was a high school senior. I _guess_ I was the popular girl. The town was small, so it wasn't hard to be well-known or liked, and I was 'the one' that school year. I was happy, my friends, my grades, my family were great _in the beginning_. The siren, seeing me-the pretty, popular girl with a pretty good life-slowly took over. I almost didn't notice it at first, but eventually I felt it. I heard it speak through my mind and was able to keep it away, but it got stronger and eventually, I was _consumed_. Those last few months, I barely remember, like I was sleeping the whole time. Just dreaming all the nightmares, hoping to wake up to my old life..." A shadow passed over her face, shrouding the look of defeat painted on her face.

Mabel reached over to pat her hand, but passed right through her. I only just realize how intangible she was. As much as she looked like it, she _wasn't_ human anymore, she was completely untouched by time. I really felt bad for her, Winona, having your life just taken from you like that. Then I thought about Pacifica and how that was _really_ happening to her. For the first time in my life, I felt _bad_ for Pacifica Northwest.

"Then what happened?" Mabel asked softly. Mabel always was a people person, whereas I, socially awkward Dipper, was not. Organic lifeforms just haven't been my strongest point.

Winona sighed, this all brought back unpleasant memories, "I was too _weak_ for it after a while, so the siren disposed of me, in the forest, where I now stay."

I could tell you all about our touchy-feely good byes with Winona the Ghost or about how we got lost on our way back to the car or about putting shaving cream in Grunkle Stan's hand while he was sleeping, but none of it is really all that important right now.

Now, it's morning and Mabel's still in bed, she deserves the rest anyway. Last night, she was really shaken up by our talk with Winona, so I told her to just go to bed. I couldn't sleep, as usual. I'm sitting on the roof trying to write this as neatly as possible, because my hand are shaking. I'm very uncomfortable, just so you know. Jeez, the things I do for you, reader.

I think I'll sit out here for a while before heading down for breakfast. It's kind of nice out her, in a treacherous sort of way, I guess.

I really liked Winona in a weird, ghost-friend kind of way. I guess it was because she reminded me of Wendy, how she was popular but didn't really ask to be, people just liked her. She was someone real. I just felt bad that it led her to be attracted by a monster, a monster who took over her life and eventually killed her. If that hadn't happened, she would have grown up to go to college and be successful and...live her own life...

Now I'm thinking about Mabel. A couple months ago, we applied for colleges and both of us got back a ton of acceptance letters. Almost every school Mabel applied for accepted her. She looked at me with a wide grin on her face, "There're so many choices! So may different paths in life!"

It kind of got me thinking: Well, what if the path you end up taking, tears us apart? What if we ended up like those grown-up siblings who only spoke during the holidays or not at all? _What if I completely lost Mabel?_

If I'm honest though, I don't think I will. I'd like to think that Mabel will always be here for me.

Dipper out!

(Do you guys like that? Or should I change it? Is it too late? I-you know what, nevermind, just bye.)

**A/N: Heavy stuff, man, heavy stuff. Please take a moment to leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you for reading and I will see you next time!**


	9. Heroes and Monsters

**A/N: *Gets down on knees in forgiveness* I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I've been SUPER busy and I haven't been able to update. I'm sorry! I hope that this chapter can quench your thirst, if not, there's punch at the party, no worries. Now, enjoy!**

Adulation Accounts, Day 19

Dipper here, from the hospital! We'll get to that later. Anyway, the past few days have been super boring, except for last night. I'm sure you can guess what happened last night, because I don't really want to-oh, wait, you don't know? Well, last night was Pacifica's city hall half birthday and it was terrible...

Neither Mabel or I wanted to go, but Grunkle Stan thought it would be a good advertisement opportunity, so he said he would "ground us" if we didn't go, which meant "lock us in the Mystery Shack for twenty-four hours with no food, just tap water." As much as I disliked Pacifica and parties and Pacifica parties, most of all, I hated Mystery Shack all-nighters. The only comfortable place to sleep was the exhibit and the glass eyes _really_ freak me out.

Stan had already left, probably to make sure we actually went. I was in the room, about to start getting ready. Pacifica sent a monkey suit for me yesterday-not a real one, I meant the tuxedo kind, which was even worse. Mabel came in with a pretty black dress that had kind of a poofy skirt and a neckline that looked like a heart. Her hair was nicely curled, pinned back on one side to look like a pixie cut. Good Golly Gosh, she was beautiful.

"You're not seriously wearing _that_, are you? Mabel laughed, pinning back a stray lock of hair.

I groaned, falling back on my bed, the tux sprawled across my chest. _Tonight is gonna be the_ worst, I though bitterly. Mabel's face appeared, inches from mine, her hair tickling my nose. "Hey, buddy," she chimed, smiling brilliantly, "You know what _you_ can do?"

"Spontaneous combustion?" It was always an option.

"No!" she said, hitting my face with a pillow, "Just avoid Pacifica _all_ night! Easy-_peasy_!"

I sighed and shook my head.

Mabel doesn't exactly _know_ about Pacifica's demands, there are at least four things I had to do for her tonight and I wasn't looking forward to it. "I don't think so, Mabel. You know Pacifica, she lies, and she's possessed by a siren, who _knows_ how power-crazy she is now!" I sounded so panicy, if I wasn't, well, _me_, she probably would've suspected _something_ a long time ago.

Mabel rolled her eyes, went through a couple of my drawers, pulling out clothes at random, and tossed them at me. "Go change, Dipper," Mabel said, nodding toward the bathroom. I obeyed without question. If I could trust anyone right now, it was Mabel.

I changed in the bathroom silently and realized the clothes weren't as random as I'd originally thought. I stood in front of the mirror, taking myself all in. I wore black jeans, a black collared shirt with short sleeves, and a black bow tie, which I didn't know how to tie.

Man, that girl could work wonders.

I came out and Mabel nodded approvingly and exclaimed, "Cool, now we're ninjas!"

I tilted my head to one side, confused, "Mabel, _how_ are we ninjas?"

"We're dressed in all black, duh!" Mabel rolled her eyes like it was obvious. "Except you're the more clumsy and uncoordinated ninja, Dipper."

I chose not to respond. Or maybe I just didn't have anything to say. I guess that's the problem with being awkward.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" I asked as Mabel tied my bow tie for me, fussing it to perfection.

"I visited Winona again yesterday," Mabel said, lightly patting my bow tie like she was trying to encourage it, "She said that we needed to counter the siren with a disruption of its own frequency. She said that should expel the siren from Pacifica!"

I nodded, taking in the seriousness of this plan. If we messed up, that was it. "And if it doesn't work?"

Mabel rolled her eyes as we walked down the hall together, "I've got a plan, just follow my lead, okay?" And that was the end of that. No matter how much I tried to ask her about her plan, she just winked at me. Mabel's never had a boyfriend before, but, man, she could play me like a harp.

We drove into town, where we faced probably our greatest nemesis: parking. And we weren't just parking, we were parking for a _city hall_ party. All hell was waiting for us.

Have I told you about Gideon before? No? Well, he's pretty much my archenemy, as cliche as it sounds, again. It all started over this whole Mabel-thing, except back then I didn't like-like her. If he knew, it would just give him another reason for him to hate me. At least I'm taller than him. Anyway, I ended up parking right next to him. Can you say '_awkward_'? He glared at me ominously and, I think, whispered my name in a hateful way, like he always does. Gideon's really bad at subtlety. Not much has changed about him over the years. He got a little taller and his hair got a little shorter, but that was really it. He wrinkled his pig nose and sauntered away, running a hand through his big, silver hair, brushing off his dark blue suit, and sneaking a glance at Mabel in the process.

Mabel offered her arm and I interlocked mine with hers, making us one unit, ready to take on the world.

Okay, so here's why I hate big parties. _It's too loud._ The music hit me in a wave and the lights blinded me as soon as we walked in. It was the biggest dance party I'd ever been to. We made our way through the crowd, bumping past dancers, passing awkwardly through couples. Eventually we found Soos, who was working the music, and Wendy, who was holding Soos's punch. Soos didn't look any different, except for his shirt with a tuxedo design on it. Wendy had cut her hair shorter since the last time I saw her, more choppy and uneven, and was wearing a pretty emerald dress that complimented her hair. I saw her glance at Robbie, who was dancing with another girl. That jerk.

"Dudes, I can't do that, it's, like, bad!" Soos protested after we'd told him our plan. "You know how much it took to get this gig! Seriously!"

"You're working the sound controls in the back of the room!" I argued, "And you don't even get to leave to go to the bathroom! The _bathroom_, man!"

"Soos, you _have_ to!" Mabel pleaded, "It's for the greater good!"

Wendy nodded for emphasis, "I'm not giving you your punch if you don't, and they just changed the punch to _lemonade_, do you really want to drink _lemonade _for the rest of the night? Huh?" Whoa, wild card, Soos hated drinking lemonade ever since that one time we had to sell it in front of the Mystery Shack. We weren't allowed to drink any and it taunted him.

"Okay, I'll do it!" Soos cried desperately. He was literally sweating at the thought of drinking lemonade again. Jeez.

Mabel and I high-fived and split up to start our plan. I had to distract Pacifica, which made me very uncomfortable and a _little_ scared, while Mabel went off to find Gideon. It wasn't too hard to find Pacifica. She was surrounded by her grovelers, all of them ooh-ing and aah-ing at her dress. The rest of her was a mess though. Her hair was a wavy, messy bird's nest and it looked like a she'd applied her make-up whilst driving.

It got even worse once she saw me. Her face contorted into an ugly mask and she pushed through her circle to get to me. "Who do you think you are?" she screamed, poking my chest with every word, pushing me back. "_First_, you don't pick me up and _then_ you show up with your _loser_ sister, dressed like that!" She growled angrily, pinning me against the wall.

"Whoa, whoa," I said gently, my hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry, but not everything's about you, Pacifica! Have you ever stopped to think of-" Just then, underneath the concealer and foundation layers I saw what she might have been trying to hide. Faint bruises bloomed on her skin, ones I wouldn't have noticed until I was this close.

She caught me staring and backed away, something changed in her eyes, making them less hard. Was that fear? She turned cold as steel in a heartbeat. "Urghh!" she cried and knocked over a chair, "Just-just don't let it happen again! _Come on_!" She grabbed my hand and steered me toward the stage, making people stop and stare. As if I needed for advertisement for my own freak show.

For a second, I almost felt bad for her, completely unaware of what was happening to her. She was slowly deteriorating, slowly being eaten alive. "Do you want a drink?" I asked as we passed the drink table, making her stop. She looked at me questionably, like she wasn't sure if she was serious. _Well, I've made it this far_, I thought and poured her a cup. She took it gingerly, probably deciding whether to drink it or dump it on me. She did both, I guess. She took a drink and threw it at a nerdy guy's back, making him yelp. It wasn't me, but I still felt really bad for the guy.

Pacifica sighed, "Listen, Loser, tonight is my night, so none of your weird games, okay? That means you can't be hanging around silly Mabel, got it?" She growled at me, like legitimately growled at me! And not even in, like, an creepy-inner-cougar-even-though-we're-the-same-age way.

"Why do you hate Mabel anyway?" I asked boldly, though my voice still shook.

"I _don't_!" Pacifica said, her voice breaking, "I just _hate_ that everyone likes her more then me!" She gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth and started to cry.

You wouldn't believe how pathetic it was.

Or how sorry I was for her.

For a while, I stood there, completely dumbfounded. Here was Pacifica Northwest, self-proclaimed queen of Gravity Falls, crying in front of me. I wasn't sure what came over me, but I reached out and patted her shoulder gently. I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped, realizing I honestly had nothing to say. Pacifica noticed and glared up at me, as if I had the nerve to openly pity her.

"_Whatever_."

And that's all she said for a while. She made me get her lemonade and stand with her grovelers and get her cake, if she hadn't been so demanding and snooty, it might've been kind of _nice_. Then, I reminded myself that she was being possessed by an evil siren that was eating away her soul and still hungry for more, preferably at a giant get together with an entire town of clueless morsels, and I couldn't enjoy myself. That's me, Mister Sunshine-Happy-Rainbows-Guy.

"Now, welcome to the stage, the birthday girl herself, Pacifica!" her father announced from the stage, a spotlight searching for her in the crowd.

Pacifica scowled like she'd rather be anywhere than at her own half-birthday party. She shoved her glass of lemonade in my direction and stormed onto the stage. I could almost see the raging electricity encircling her, pining for her attention almost as much as her circle of grovelers. I risked a glance at Mabel, who'd apparently finished her secret talk with Gideon, and Soos at the control panel in the back, they gave me a pair of thumbs up accompanied by devilish smiles. Mabel covered the lower half of her face with Soos's black sleeve to emphasize how ninja-like we were. I didn't know what else to do so I just smiled and nodded. That's all you _can_ do sometimes, I guess.

What happened next, you might ask? I can't really remember, actually; it all felt like a blurry dream. I remember Pacifica speaking into the microphone and realizing that she really was crackling with electricity. Cracks were forming in her skin and her eyes dilated rapidly. The funny thing was, though, _no one_ noticed. That's Gravity Falls for you, I guess. The entire crowd was swayed by Pacifica lulling, "_Come to me, children of the soulless. Sing out for me._" The voice that spoke was raspy and definitely seeking revenge. Either she really needed a glass of water, or that was the siren trying to break free from Pacifica. Something told me that if it was the second choice, Pacifica wouldn't be around to see it, if you know what I mean.

I could feel myself being entranced, like the life was being sucked right out of me from a vacuum. I fought the siren's call. I had to to save everyone, even sad, little Pacifica Northwest.

Small wisps of, what looked like, smoke circled out from the chests of innocent party-goers, all entranced by the siren. The siren's call was like a vacuum, sucking out the souls of those who listen.

I looked over at Mabel and Soos, both lazily swaying to Pacifica's voice, unsure of what they were really doing. Their eyes were glazed over like fog was trapped in their eyes so they couldn't see. I ran as fast as I could to them, but felt like I was running through quicksand, my legs getting heavier and heavier with each step. It felt like forever before I reached them. I flipped a couple switches on the controls, my hands working faster than my mind. I plugged in the rest of the wireless microphones, hoping they would stay connected to the speakers long enough. I hastily put them all in a box and bolted for the stairs.

"Dipper?" Mabel called groggily as I ran up and to a balcony above the stage.

Now, I've been to church, you know, every Sunday with my parents and Mabel. It's cool there, not going to lie, but I'd never really grasped the concept of praying. Let me tell you, right then and there, I prayed to anything and everything out there in the totally unfair universe that this would work. I prayed until the last microphone plummeted to the stage below. At the collision, a wave of earsplitting feedback chorused into the audience, shattering the hold of the monster. Pacifica collapsed and I almost felt a wave of joy, until I realized this wasn't over yet.

Mabel looked up at me and gave me a thumbs up and a nod and I mimicked the gesture back at her. We'd won the battle, but we still had the war.

Down below, electricity still sparked around Pacifica, I noticed with a deep frown. That meant the siren was only temporarily stunned. We had to get out of here. Fast.

I saw Wendy run up and scoop up Pacifica while everyone was distracted and suddenly craving lemonade. I guess having your soul almost sucked out _really_ makes you thirsty because everyone mobbed the refreshment tables. I saw Grunkle Stan pawning off the last few cups of the stuff for twenty bucks a pop as we snuck out. We piled into the back of Wendy's pick-up truck and sped off, sprawling Pacifica on the bed of the truck.

In no time at all, we were at 412 Gopher Road, the abandoned Lil' Gideon merchandise factory. Ever since Lil' Gideon hit puberty and stopped being "cute", his father cut off the production and now the factory stands deserted and alone, until tonight.

"Uh, why don't you guys wait in the car?" I offered Wendy and Soos, "Mabel and I got this covered." They agreed and promised that if it sounded like anything bad was happening they would storm in and bust things up. I would've laughed, but the situation seemed a little serious.

"Get the feet," Mabel instructed and hooked her arms under Pacifica's armpits.

"I always get the feet," I grumbled and tried not to harm myself with her high heeled shoes.

"Well, you're the _little _brother," she snickered. I was so upset I hardly even noticed how awesome she looked in the moonlight. It also reminded me that Summerween was just around the corner and, if we survived this, that we had to decide what we would be. There just aren't enough hours in a day.

The two of hauled Pacifica into the factory and placed her in the center of the room. She was starting to wake up, and if she woke up, that meant the siren would too.

"You made it," a ghostly voice said. Winona was floating in mid air with her legs crossed, like she we'd just interrupted her in the middle of meditation.

I looked up at the ghost girl and nodded, "Yeah, Winona, we have. Now, what do we do?" Something about her just didn't seem right, but I decided not to think about it. Big mistake.

"You can hand over the siren to lil' ol' me?" a familiar voice offered.

Gideon crept out from the shadows and gave me a smug, ugly smirk. "Hello Dipper Pines." _Just_ what we needed...

"What're _you_ doing here, Gideon?" I spat out at him, slowly moving in front of the Mabel. He was especially crazy when Mabel was involved, and that's saying something.

"I want the siren," he said simply, like it was obvious.

I gave him a look that probably said something like, _Dude, seriously? _That or I just looked like an idiot, which was completely plausible. "You _want _it?"

"Oh, please, Dipper Pines, you'll hurt her feelings!" he gasped at me like I'd just slapped his mother. He glided over to where Pacifica now stirred. It bothered me how he looked at her like she was a lost kitten he just couldn't wait to kick. Okay, terrible analogy, but it's true. "A lady must be treated with respect!"

"Oh, like you know _so_ much about treating ladies with respect," I heard Mabel mumble from behind me. I snickered, earning a glare from Gideon.

He sighed, controlling his anger probably, "Yes, Dipper Pines, I need the siren. Now, be a good boy and hand her over!" Did you notice how to completely ignored Mabel? Yeah, me too.

"What are you even talking about?!" I shouted, maybe laughing too. "We still have to separate them, you know! How're you gonna do that, _huh_, genius?"

Gideon sighed, sharing a secret joke with himself about my stupidity, "Well, with this, silly boy." He held up an amulet. I'll be honest, it didn't look like much at first, then I noticed the way Gideon's eyes twinkled when he looked at it and I knew it was bad news. "This amulet is the key to transfer the siren from one body to another _by force_." He definitely was not making Sci-Fi movie references.

"Transfer?" I cried, completely exasperated, "Well, what good does that do?!" How stupid was this guy anyway?

Gideon looked between Mabel and I, like he was making sure we weren't just pulling his leg. "You honestly haven't told him yet, huh, Mabel?" He said that like they were actually _friends_.

Apparently _much_ less stupid than I am.

"Mabel, what's going on?" I pleaded, even though I'd already found the answer in my heart.

"I made a deal with Gideon," Mabel hushed, like I should have seen it sooner, but I didn't. What I didn't see was her gaze. Her brown eyes couldn't meet mine, they looked everywhere but me. Was that disappointment in her eyes?

"Without telling me?" I couldn't even make myself feel mad or upset. All I felt was the bitter spark of betrayal lighting in my chest, burning me from the inside out. My breath caught and sweat started beading down my neck. It was suddenly burning in the chilling warehouse.

Mabel nodded, "You wouldn't have wanted it, Dipper, I _know_ you. I just-and I couldn't let-" She sighed and shook her head as if to say, _You wouldn't understand._

_"Mabel_,"I choked desperately, my voice cracking. Usually she found it hilarious, but she only looked at me sadly, like I reminded her of something she'd been trying not to think about. "I-"

"Sorry, Dipper," Mabel sighed and strode over to Pacifica and Gideon. I looked from Gideon to Mabel to Winona, completely lost and confused.

"Poor, little Dipper," Gideon sighed like he honestly pitied me. "Haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?"_ How could I be so stupid?_

"Oh, please! You've been played, fool!" Gideon laughed, "Winona knew, Mabel knew! It was just _you_, poor Little Dipper!"

I stared at the ground, trying to keep myself from shaking. Gideon went on, "How does it feel, huh? To be ridiculed and alone?"

"Stop, Gideon," Mabel interjected.

Gideon swinged the amulet affectionately, "Winona, please take care of Mr. Pines for me."

Without a word, Winona swoops into me, washing me in a cold sensation. I physically feel another presence within my body, making me freeze. I fought her with everything I had, but it was no use. My vision blurred and I fell to my knees, barely able to breathe. "Winona, I thought you were our friend," I hissed at the ghost inside me, bitterness gushed from my voice.

_Sorry, Dipper, but Gideon's promised me a lot, _Winona chimed, her voice like a nippy winter breeze.

_What could he possibly have promised you? _I screamed in my mind. A ball of rage burned in my chest. I hoped Winona could feel it too.

I could have sworn I heard her sigh, like she couldn't believe how stupid I was. _When the siren got rid of me, part of it stayed in me. It anchored me to the world, Dipper! Gideon promised when Mabel took the siren from Pacifica, he'd do the same thing for me! I'm desperate, Dipper, seeing you and Mabel. I'm sorry. _

All the anger inside me melted, and a sudden pang of guilt replaced it. I kept forgetting how Winona had died so young. _I'm sorry, _I whispered simply.

Winona stayed silent and I suddenly became aware of Gideon and Mabel. Well, it was more like the Gideon and Mabel blurs shifting over to the Pacifica blur. The blue, Gideon blur held up his shiny amulet, making it catch a beam of light from the ceiling, showering the Pacifica blur in a-what was that, hexagonal?-prism of blue light.

A wispy figure swirled out of the Pacifica blur as the Gideon blur chanted words I couldn't make out, but they sounded pretty ominous. The same thing went for the wispy figure, which I guess was the siren, except _ugly._ It's true.

The next part was hard for me to watch. The Mabel blur stepped forward and the siren shot in through her mouth. She immediately wrenched forward and fell to her knees. I fought Winona with all my strength, but she did not waver. Blood roaring in my ears, my teeth clenched, I was useless. I watched in horror as Mabel's eyes glowed electric blue as the siren took over.

I felt a strong hand squeezing my heart as her ear-piercing scream echoed in the empty factory. Winona released me from her grip and took form before my eyes. Instead of radiating a faint blue light, color came to her face. Her hair flowed a golden blonde and her eyes shown a dark green. She was beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Dipper Pines, for your loss. Please forgive me." And those were her last words before she turned to mist and lifted into the air. For once, Gideon kept his promise.

My vision cleared and sweet oxygen rushed into my lungs, but a weight sat at the pit of my stomach. I expected to see Gideon smiling, but he grimaced as he helped wake up Pacifica. I slowly approached Mabel, unsure of what waited for me, but she was still my sister and I still cared for her, siren or no.

"Mabel?" My voice shook more than I meant for it to.

She looked at me suddenly, her eyes filled with fear. "Dipper! I-" She stopped abruptly and a cold expression fell over her face.

I'd lost her.

Next thing I knew, Mabel had me pinned to the ground with her hands around my throat. Usually, Mabel wouldn't have been strong enough to choke me, but, as you know, this wasn't Mabel. I was legitimately on the verge of dying.

I somehow kicked her off of me, which I almost felt bad about under the circumstances. She cursed at me and swiped at me. Her long nails caught my cheek and I could only hope I was imagining the blood dripping down my neck.

"Let her go!" I tried to said bravely, but my voice still shook pathetically.

The siren laughed and lunged at me. I dodged, but just barely. I couldn't fight her. How could I?

Only one idea came to mind and like the man that I am, I ran out of the factory, past Gideon and Pacifica, past a very confused Soos and a very confused Wendy, and into the forest. I didn't know where I was going or what my plan was, but I did know I had to somehow get the siren once and for all. A small passage in minuscule writing from the Book, easy to miss if you don't look careful enough, flashed in my mind.

I broke through the line of trees and immediately stopped at the edge of a cliff. A fraction of an inch more and I would have been plummeting to the bottom. It was really far down, like, _really_ far down.

Siren Mabel materialized from the shadowy trees, an annoyed, angry look on her face. Blue electricity crackled around her like electrons circling the nucleus. (Wow, can I be anymore lame?)

"_You_," the siren's voice spat, "You, boy, are what keeps this girl fighting me. I cannot have that, prepare to die."

A girl's ghostly voice echoed in my mind. Something she'd said, but I'd taken it in the wrong context. I knew what I had to do now. I sucked in my courage and braced myself for the worst.

"One step ahead of you," I said with a cocky grin, and in the spur of heroism, I stepped over the edge.

. . .

Okay, so that was pretty heroic, right? Well, let me tell you, it did not feel so heroic at the bottom. It wasn't as deep as I'd originally thought, but it still felt like forever as I tumbled down the rocky hillside. Finally, I hit the bottom, but not before I was propelled forward and landed on my arm and shoulder.

"Yup, that's broken," I groaned as I tried to help myself up.

So, I stayed down a while, looking up at the stars and trying not to notice the pain in my left arm. I hoped that Mabel was okay and that my plan had worked.

Winona had told Mabel that a disruption of the same frequency of the siren's power would eliminate it. At first, we'd thought that meant the siren's powerful voice, but it really meant the power on the host body. If the shock of my plummeting to what seemed to be my death had scared Mabel as much as it scared me, then it should have worked. But I can never be too sure.

I was trying to find the Big Dipper constellation when I blacked out.

Now, I'm in the hospital where I first woke up. Soos said he came by and took me to the hospital. He also reassured me that Mabel is okay, but I'm not so sure. I just really really really hope she's okay, because I

_I'm okay, Dipper._

_Hehe it's Mabel! Dipper fell asleep while he was writing since, you know, he's all busted up right now. He snores like a baby kitten in his sleep, it's so cute!_

_Okay, Mabel, stop being silly, this is serious. Serious._

_I guess I'll just finish up where Dipper left off, except with me, the all powerful Mabel, as the master of the story!_

_Anyway, I don't really remember exactly what happened after Dipper jumped off the cliff, but I knew what it felt like. It felt like being struck by lightning, the electricity burning my insides and taking my breath away in a new, horrible way. The siren screamed in agony, making it feel like my brain was melting to pudding, really, really gross pudding. Between the roaring of blood in my ears and my own thrashing, I couldn't make out what she was saying._

_Well, no, I take that back, I heard one word: Revenge._

Fatchance, ugly, _I thought triumphantly as the siren essence left my body and evaporated into the air. I didn't feel very triumphant though, considering I'd completely lost control and almost killed my brother..._

Dipper!

_He was still down there! I raced to the edge and was about to make my way down there when two giant arms wrapped around me. _

_"Soos!" I screamed, "I've gotta help Dipper!" Tears came to my eyes as I fought. What if Dipper-  
_

_"No way, Dude," Soos said strictly, "No way you're going down there. Seriously, you Dudes have had enough for one night."_

_I was about to object when I suddenly became aware of just how tired I was. Being possessed by a siren takes a lot out of you._

_"I'll go," I heard Wendy's voice say as I drifted off into sleep, knowing Dipper was in good hands._

_The next thing I knew, I was asleep in my bed back at the Mystery Shack. Stan made me sit down and finish all of my breakfast before we were allowed to see Dipper, who was sleeping when we got here, and I started reading his journal, because I could. And so the past has caught up with the present! Huzzah!_

_Oh, and speaking of Dipper, I'm going to have to have a talk with him about this little journal of his. Secrets definitely do not make friends._

_Or happy twin sisters._

_This is Mabel, signing off!_

_(Way cooler than Dipper's ending, right? Boink.)_

**A/N: Well, I'm sure you know what that means right? Huh-huh? **

**Still not worth the wait, huh? Don't answer that.**

**Well, anyways, thank you so much for reading and please leave a review!**

**Oh, and please stay tuned for the next installment of _The Dipper Diaries_!**


	10. The Intangible Heavens

**A/N: No, I'm not dead. This is going to sound really lame, but I guess I just lost my inspiration to write. You see, my grandmother died not too long ago and I lost interest in a lot of things, but then I decided that I had to do something and I bounced back. I'm sorry this is so short but it took so long. I still hope you enjoy it though.**

Rapture Record, Day 23

Yo, it's the D-Man, representin'! Yeah, that doesn't work either, maybe I should just stick with the usual. Okay, let's try this again...

Hey, Dipper here, comin' at you live from the Mystery Shack! Well, I guess I'm not really _live_, but, you know, whatevs.

Okay, I'm stalling. Deep breaths, Pines, deep breaths.

I know what you're thinking: _Dipper, what happened?! Mabel read your journal! What did you do?! Tell us and blah blah blah!_

Well, here's what happened.

I'd been home for a couple days. I'd left the hospital with my arm in a sling and a pain in my left temple that I didn't think would ever leave. Mabel kept to herself and was almost always out of the house with Wendy. I stayed at home, either sleeping or smashing oranges with a sledge hammer with Soos.

Okay, and instead of directly talking to her about it like the man I should be, I pretended I didn't know anything. Well, that worked for a while until Mabel took me to the roof to drink soda. I was pretty nervous. Okay, _really_ nervous, but I didn't want to say anything, just in case.

It was a nice, clear day in Gravity Falls. Friendly, fluffy clouds moved in close to the sun, but never blocked it, creating a picturesque backdrop for the pretty green trees. I probably would have enjoyed it more if my heart hadn't been threatening to beat out of my chest. Mabel sat back, nonchalantly sipping from her soda can, smiling as the birds chirped.

Today, she'd cut her hair shorter, almost a pixie cut. I could tell she didn't like it, but I did. A lot. It showed off the elegant curve of her jaw and showcased her smile in all of its uninterrupted glory. She wore a large, floppy sunhat and a pretty white sundress. Her bare feet swung back and forth off the roof. The way the sun sprinkled its light around her made it hard to look away, but I still steeled myself and looked off into the farthest point on the horizon.

"Nice day, huh, Dipper?" Mabel said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," I said with a sigh, nodding at the glory of sight, "Pretty."

I stole a glance at her hands. Her finger nails were cut shorter and erased of all nail polish. She caught me staring, "I didn't want to have to worry about scratching you again."

"Oh."

We sat there for a while, not talking and just watching and listening to Gravity Falls slowly work its subtle magic. It was nice, but I still felt the tight ball of nervousness welling up in the pit of my stomach. I almost thought I'd imagined it when Mabel lightly tapped my arm and said my name. I looked over and said the stupidest, "Yeah?" In the history of mankind.

"Did you really mean all those things you wrote about me?" Her voice was soft and gentle and her eyes downcast and she was still as beautiful as ever. My breath caught and my heart fluttered and I knew there was no escape.

And just like that, that final wall fell and everything tumbled out with it. I told Mabel everything. How much I loved her and how I knew I was an idiot for believing _we_ could ever work and how I'd understand if she hated me, but most of all, I told her how beautiful I thought she was. Inside and out. In the dark or in the light. Her beauty, which was something beyond impossible caught between the intangible heavens and the damned earth, sent my heart soaring to new heights and took my breath away in new, wonderful ways. And yet, her beauty wasn't only on the surface, but went down to her core. To me and everyone else, she was the embodiment of what that word truly meant.

She loved deeply _and_ widely.

And I loved her.

I loved the way her nose crinkled when she laughed.

I loved the wideness of her smile.

I loved the way her hair fell in her face.

I loved the spring in her step.

I loved the sweet strawberry scent of her hair.

I loved the way we belted every song on the radio when we drove together.

I loved her fearlessness.

I loved her fearfulness.

I loved that she still had her lisp after all these years.

I loved that she was always there for me.

I loved that she was my older sister.

I loved _her_.

But I still couldn't look at her.

I found myself breathing heavily, my fist clenched against my chest, my heart beating fast. Too fast. The edges of the world blackened and I knew I couldn't hold on.

"Dipper."

And just like every other time, her voice is what brings me back to life. Her light overcame the darkness, but it was blinding. I shut my eyes tight and whisper her name, "Mabel."

"Dipper, _please_ look at me."

She took me squarely by the shoulders and made me face her, but I couldn't meet her gaze. The shame weighed on my shoulders like the weight of the sky, and I couldn't do it.

"_Dipper, please_!" The desperation in her voice surprised me and I looked just in time to see a crystal tear fall ever so slowly down her cheek.

I'm an idiot. I sighed, "Oh, Mabel. I'm sorry. I just-_God_, I'm an idiot. I really-"

And in one fluid motion there was no longer just she and I, but us, sealed with a kiss. It should have been that simple. It should have felt right, perfect even, her and I, but something fell and shattered in my heart and I knew we couldn't go on like this.

I pulled away and there she was, her big brown eyes staring back at mine telling the same story. _I'm sorry._

"This isn't going to work, is it?" I said, my voice very low and very very broken.

Mabel's eyes look everywhere but me and she shook her head the slightest bit.

"Are _we_ going to be okay?" I needed to know there was hope.

Mabel's eyes met mine and held my gaze. There we were, connected but disconnected, apart but together. Inseparable, yet separated. My eyes ached as I looked at her, tears threatening to spill over, but I couldn't let them. Not in front of her. Not now. Not ever.

It felt like a thousand years before she nodded her head, a sad smile creeping across her lips.

And that was all I needed to carry my broken self through.

**A/N: I'm afraid this is the end. I know, sad isn't it? Don't worry, Dipper and I will be fine (:**

**Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**


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